Early Review and Photo Gallery of a Red Sony Reader PRS-T2

A French website called Ebouquin.fr has post an early review (translated version) of the new Sony Reader PRS-T2, complete with a bunch of pictures (see gallery below).

A couple of things jump out. First, it looks like the black PRS-T2 is the only one with a matte finish. The red one looks quite shiny in the pictures. Also, the close-ups of the buttons reveal they are indeed physical buttons and not capacitive sensors. That’s a plus. The reviewer mentions they aren’t particularly pleasant to use, however.

Like the overall design, the software also remains mostly the same as the Sony PRS-T1 from last year. There are some subtle differences but overall the interface and menus all look the same. The fonts are the same, the reading features are the same. About the only difference is the addition of Evernote and Facebook.

One new feature with reading is there’s an option in settings where you can turn on and off partial page refresh. Partial refresh makes it so pages refresh quicker. All the other mainstream ebook readers have this feature so it’s about time Sony added it too. Here’s a YouTube video that shows this in action toward the end around the 3:50 mark (the video is in German and is mostly talking).

Overall the Sony PRS-T2 looks like another solid ebook reader from Sony, even though it’s more like a PRS-T1-B instead of a new model. It’s interesting the reviewer at Ebouquin talks about how the PRS-T2 is a nice ebook reader but it’s overpriced at €149 in France compared to the competition like the Kindle and Kobo. Funny, that’s exactly how it is here in the US too.

Sony used to be able to get away with charging a premium for their ebook readers, but I don’t think their devices are special enough to warrant the higher prices anymore. They used to be the only ones that offered a classy aluminum frame and a touchscreen and audio support, but not anymore.

This seems to be a perfunctory E-reader. Its only competition is Nook and Kindle, at least in its price range. Its edge is most likely an open USB host (if it has it) and a capability to run Android apps (another if). A $99.00 price tag would help, though Nook and Kindle could sell as low as $69.00. It also could have competition with various color LED tablets that sell for $99.00 and less. But when prices goes below $100.00, don’t expect much from any device.

“Sony used to be able to get away with charging a premium for their ebook readers, but I don’t think their devices are special enough to warrant the higher prices anymore. They used to be the only ones that offered a classy aluminum frame and a touchscreen and audio support, but not anymore.”

That’s right. Sony used to be the Cadillac of eReaders. Tooled aluminum casings, stylus touchscreens, internal stylus storage, the PRS-950’s 7″ display (one of my favorite readers to date). Sony made great devices. As soon as they realized they couldn’t charge $300 – $400 for eReaders anymore, they stopped putting effort into the physical quality of their readers (and apparently now their software too which has been frozen in time for the past two years). The hokey social features and Evernote option are superficial updates. The new PRS-T2 is a solid eReader for someone new to the technology, but experienced users will disappointed.

Someone forgot to tell Sony that if they make no advances and go cheap on hardware and software, they are at least supposed to be in an actual price war, not charging $145 after tax/S&H for what should be a $99 device.

Probably real street and online stores will down to 139-129 EUR (current and best prices for T1, before T2 release) … but :-|| :@

(and, of course, Sony does not supply any new about stock or availability date, Sony stores even don’t know about this “T2” product)

Later, they will ask why Kindle is selling so much. And if Amazon is out with a new Pearl-HD based ereader, they will continue asking, even if many people does not like a closed and proprietary hardware, software, format and company.

Taking Nathan’s advice, I’ll wait for a sail price on PRS-T2. At least the design of T2 and T1 look more stylish and distinctive than the newer Kindle and Nook (and most of the cheap LED tablets).

The Pocketbook 622 also has a new design, as well as firmware with more features. It costs more and may be worth it. I’d rather invest my bucks in the Onyx i62HD for its sharper screen and other extras, though its design is as plain as a Nook. If only Onyx had Pocketbooks design and buttons, or Pocketbook had Onyx’s HD screen.

I’m not interested in the 9.7-inch models, I’d hold out for a Pocketbook 922 or an Onyx i92. An HD Pearl screen on either one would be a big plus. They’d likely cost and weigh as much as their current models, but I would not mind holding a one-pound-and-a-half E-reader if it had HD E-ink.

Still, T2 runs on a modified Android system like T1, and T1 has proved it can run a few Android apps. Onyx has a different system, but it runs its own “widgets” or non-Android apps. A tie-breaker here would be user-friendliness, versatility, and a USB host.

Maybe those most eager to buy the T2 are the ones who want to experiment with it, find out what it can do and how it can be rooted. T1 has been the most tweakable reader, except for the Nook Touch.

T2 could also be a cheaper device to start learning how to use Android, in addition to being a nifty E-ink reader. I have not gotten the hang of Android yet.